METEOROLOGICAL EFFECTS ON RANGE RATE ERRORS IN RADIO INTERFEROMETER TRACKING SYSTEMS: CAPE KENNEDY.

Abstract

During past Mercury-Atlas shots from Cape Kennedy varying degrees of difficulty with noise were encountered in the General Electric, Mod III microwave interferometer tracking system. This noise was allegedly caused by variations in atmospheric structure and composition. Stratification of moist and dry layers and intrusions of moist air into dry air (upward penetration of cumulus clouds into dry air) apparently produced sufficient variation of medium to cause fluctuations in the interferometer tracking trace. The primary purpose of this study, therefore, has been to investigate the effects of atmospheric refraction anomalies on radio interferometer tracking systems and, ultimately, to be able to predict the relative magnitude of tracking errors resulting from atmospheric conditions. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1965
Accession Number
AD0627615

Entities

People

  • C. G. Fain
  • J. H. Meyer
  • R. Griffith
  • W. W. Vickers

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheric Refraction
  • Clouds
  • Cumulus Clouds
  • Interferometers
  • Intrusion
  • Layers
  • Microwaves
  • Radio Interferometers
  • Refraction
  • Stratification

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Radar Systems Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design